The Free University Project
Humanities
Partial Update: Nov. 3, 2003

Exam type:
CLEP: 140 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes.
Typical credits: 6 units

The CLEP Exam

The Humanities exam is one of five General Examinations. It is very broad in scope, divided equally into Fine Arts and Literature, covering periods from antiquity to postrmodern times. It is similar to a one year survey course taught at many colleges. It can be a real challenge as you have to answer 140 questions in 90 minutes. It tests not only facts but also understanding and interpretation of works of art and literature.

NOTE: There is no on-line course that appears to relate directly to the CLEP Exam. I have drawn from several courses and exhibits that seem to reflect the content required on the CLEP. Featured faculty and their home pages can be found at the end of this page.

(I didn't promise you a rose garden. See disclaimer.)

The topics in bold face are those The College Board indicates will be found on the exams. The percentages given after the main topic headings are only approximate. Always contact The College Board for the latest information. (Click on description.)

Fine Arts 50%
Visual arts (painting, sculpture, etc.) 20%
Music 15%
Performing Arts (film, dance, etc.) 10%
Architecture 5%

Literature 50%
Drama 10%
Poetry 15-20%
Fiction 10-15%
Nonfiction (including philosophy) 10%

In addition the questions in the exam are drawn from the following periods, with about the same number of questions from each period.

Periods

The bulk of the questions relate to the Western Tradition - primarily Western Europe and the United States - with a smattering of Latin America. Russia (Soviet Union), Asia and Africa.

Textbook
You will also want to pick up a basic Humanities textbook. There are a variety of paperback text books -- (I have often found these used at thrift shops and used book stores).

Sample Exams
Samples of the Humanities exam can be found in books on the CLEP from such publishers as Arco, Barrons, and REA as part of a collection of all five CLEP general exams.

Getting Started

Here is one way that you can begin. (If you haven't read a general step-by-step guide, this might be a good time. See also How to Budget Your Time)

Access to a good encyclopedia is a must: whether in book form, CD-ROM or online. You will gain familiarity with an overview of the course material and an introduction to concepts, key individuals and vocabularly specific to the Humanities.

Encyclopedia Links
Columbia Encyclopedia
Entries tend to be short, but this is a useful, concise encyclopedia.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Full text plus multimedia. Free trial (be prepared with a list of the topics you want to look upo in order to budget you time to take full advantage of this free trial.) Low monthly rates and you can subscribe on a month-to-month basis.
Microsoft's Encarta
Essentially Funk and Wagnalls text plus additional articles and multimedia. Concise version is free but cluttered with appeals for you to subscribe to the full version

Following are enclyclopedia topic headings that you should definitely look up before you begin using other materials. Also follow major cross references.

  1. Art
    • Painting
    • Sculpture
    • Aesthetics
  2. Architecture
    • Greek Art and Archittecture
    • Roman Art and Archittecture
    • Early Christian Art and Archittecture
    • Gothic Art and Archittecture
    • Romanesque Art and Archittecture
    • Rennaisance Art and Archittecture
    • Neoclassical Art and Archittecture
    • Latin American Art and Archittecture
    • Elizabethan Style
  3. Music
    • Sonata
    • Concerto
    • Symphony
    • Opera
  4. Dance
    • Ballet
    • Modern Dance
  5. Literature
    • Novel
    • Essay
    • Short Story
    • Poetry and Versification
    • Drama
    • Criticism, Literary
    • The Literature headings under individual countries
      • Greek Literature
      • Roman Literature
      • English Literature
      • French Literature
      • German Literature
      • Spanish Literature
      • Italian Literature
      • Russian Literature
      • Latin American Literature
      • American Literature
        See also the Free University Project Study Guide for theAmerican Literature CLEP exam.
  6. Motion Pictures
  7. Photography
  8. Philosophy

You will also want to look up encyclopedia entries of the key periods:

  • Classics - to 509 B.C.
  • Greek Religion and Mythology
  • Roman - 509 B.C - 330. A.D.
  • Roman Mythology
  • Early Christianity - 30 A.D. - 500 A.D.
  • Middle Ages - 500 - 1500
  • Plague
  • Gothic - 1140 - 1600
  • Rennaisance - 1400-1600
  • Humanism
  • Reformation - 16th Century
  • Counter Reformation
  • Baroque - 1600 - 1750
  • Romantic - 1750 - 1870
  • Realism - mid 19th Century
  • Impressionism - late 19th Century
  • Victorian - late 19th Century
  • Moderism - early 20th Century
  • Surrealism - early 20th Century
  • Existentialism
  • Postmodernism

Note: The entries in the encyclopedia are generally in chronological order. The organization of textbooks, howecer are by period across subject lines (eg. Rennaisance art, music, literature). Lectures and other resources online may be either. In the entries in the Study Guide below we have tried to provide a combination (hopefully with some success).

Using the Free University Project Study Guide

A) Read the Introductory Material suggested in the Study Guide.

B) Read the material in the first two or three topics in the Study Guide. In order to stay focussed, only follow those links within the lectures and outlines that seem to be directly related to the subject matter at hand. Take your own notes. If you print out the material, highlight key definitions and concepts for review. Add your own marginal notes.

C) Read corresponding material in a textbook of your choice.

D) Read the next two or three topics as you did in B)

E) Take any on-line quizzes.

Repeat the cycle. Periodically take time to review; do suggested exercises; take a practice CLEP exam and review areas of weakness.

Remember to keep your journal up to date.

Study Guide

Introduction

Each student brings some prior knowledge of one or more of the subjects covered in the exam. The Study Guide utilizes several sources whose content overlaps. In order to conserve time you can probably skim those portions where you already have some background and focus more attention on the areas where you do not. Then, after taking one or two sample exams, you can go back to those areas where you are weak and go into greater depth.

  • A Glossary of World Cultures (Hooker)
    This is not a comprehensive glossary, nut it goes beyondbeing an expanded dictionary. It does contain an elaboration on several major themes and should be reviewed..

  • Glossary of Art (Web Museum)
    Good overview of each major period

  • World Cultures Atlases

    The following are from WORLD CULTURES, an on-line research textbook of world cultures and history from Washington State University.

    The following are excerpts from Art History: A Preliminary Handbook by Robert J. Belton, Department of Fine Arts, Okenagan University College Also see:
  • Who Owns the Past

  • Exploring Ancient World Cultures

    The Earliest Traditions

    Mesopotamia

    Egypt

  • The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

    Judaism

    Africa

    Greece

    Epic Poets
    Extensive notes from

  • Introduction to Latin Epics (also includes Homer and Appolonius).

  • Unit 3: Classical Greek Civilization: The Hellenic Age (Bogard -- no longer available)
  • Unit 4: Classical Greek Civilization: The Hellenistic Age (Bogard -- no longer available)

    Reference
    The Perseus Project From Tufts University - "an evolving digital library of resources for the study of the ancient world and beyond."

    Rome

    Early Chritianity

    Other Cultures

    China
    Japan
    The Islamic World

    Middle Ages

    Islam

    • Islam (Hooker) Click on Contents
    • Islam (reader- World Cultures- Hooker)

    The European Middle Ages

    REVIEW

  • Who Owns the Past? Bob Cape, Austin College

    Take a Poetry Break
    Welcome to English 101: Introduction to Poetry and follow major links.

    Renaissance

    The Southern European Renaissance

    Reference
    The Decameron Web a very comprehensive site, including texts, from Brown University.

  • British Literature - Renaissance (LitWeb - Bailey)

    REVIEW

  • The Renaissance and Its Legacy (Bacig)

    Africa 1500-1750

    The Middle East


    Reformation

    Baroque

    Enlightenment

    Revolution

    REVIEW

  • Revolutionary Change and the Humanities (Bacig)

    The Romantic

    Victorian

    Review

  • Utopian Visions (Bacig)

  • The Idea of America (Hooker) Click on Contents
  • The Idea of America (reader- World Cultures- Hooker)

  • American Literature II (LitWeb - Bailey)

  • The American Nation, (Hooker) Click on Contents
  • The American Nation (reader- World Cultures- Hooker)

    Modern


    REVIEW
    Outline of the English Novel: The Short List (LitWeb - Bailey)

    18th and 19th Century European Classics (Humanities 303) (Brians)

  • Africa and the African Diaspora (reader- World Cultures- Hooker)

    Postmodern

  • The Postmodern (Western Canon - Barnette -- no longer available)

    Other Cultures

    You might want to skim references to other cultures -- though most of this material will probably not be covered on the exam.

    A separate page has been set up: Other Cultures

    Museums

  • The Louvre - paintings
    Click on each thumb-nail illustration for an enlarged view and a note about the painting and the artist.

    --- more to come ---

    Drama

  • Theater History Lecture Notes

    Architecture

  • Basics

    Poetry

    For an introductory series of short lectures, including How to Read a Poem go to
  • Andrew Cantrell's Poetry Course . Click on Reference Material

    See the

  • Poetry Page at Mike Jackman's Introduction to creative writing site. Click on Introduction to Poetry

    See also the section on

  • Poetic Tools in the University of Victoria Writer's Guide.

    The

  • Atlantic Unbound archives link to a special poetry section.

  • Learning Skills

  • Internet Resources on World Cultures

    • Links to faculty home pages
    NOTE: Please don't bug the professors. They have been generous enough just by taking the time and effort to put their material on the Web. And please don't e-mail responses to their tests. Such responses are limited to students actually enrolled in the class.

    SAC LitWeb By Roger Blackwell Bailey, Ph.D.
    The Artist's View of World History and Western Civilization (Nancy B. Mautz)

  • Experience of the Arts Joe Zubrick, University of Maine, Presque Isle
  • Tradition and Memory: World Civilizations to 1500
  • Culture, Conflict, and the Modern: World Civilizations after 1500
    Related On-Line Texts - to come

    Internet Resources

  • Great Works of Western Civilization

  • Web Museum
    Famous Painting Exhibition.

    Good Luck!

    and let us know how you are doing.

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    Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003 Free University Project
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    Created: March 30, 1999
    Last update: Aug.7, 1999
    Partial Update: Nov. 3, 2003